Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) Shares Purchased by Park Avenue Securities LLC

Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its holdings in Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN) by 41.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,464 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 429 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC’s holdings in Morningstar were worth $493,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Morningstar during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Morningstar by 101.7% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 121 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Morningstar by 93.6% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 182 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Morningstar during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $58,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Morningstar by 125.2% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 250 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $74,000 after buying an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Morningstar Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of Morningstar stock opened at $327.04 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The company has a market capitalization of $14.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.20 and a beta of 1.20. Morningstar, Inc. has a 1 year low of $269.51 and a 1 year high of $365.00. The company’s fifty day moving average is $340.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $327.08.

Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The business services provider reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $569.40 million for the quarter. Morningstar had a return on equity of 23.28% and a net margin of 14.69%.

Morningstar Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 3rd will be paid a $0.455 dividend. This is an increase from Morningstar’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 3rd. Morningstar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 24.04%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman Joseph D. Mansueto sold 9,062 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.22, for a total transaction of $3,219,003.64. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 10,738,224 shares in the company, valued at $3,814,431,929.28. The trade was a 0.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director William M. Lyons sold 750 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.88, for a total transaction of $248,910.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 12,840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,261,339.20. This represents a 5.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 51,661 shares of company stock valued at $17,723,744. Company insiders own 39.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MORN has been the subject of a number of research reports. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Morningstar in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $390.00 price target for the company. Redburn Atlantic downgraded Morningstar from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $340.00 target price for the company. in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Morningstar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $360.67.

Morningstar Company Profile

Morningstar, Inc provides independent investment insights in the United States, Asia. Australia, Continental Europe, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates in five segments: Morningstar Data and Analytics; PitchBook; Morningstar Wealth; Morningstar Credit; and Morningstar Retirement.